yoga98929

Posture ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health. Posture is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. Good posture means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Posture also helps contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit.

Surprised? Well, you're not alone. The importance of good posture in an overall fitness program is often overlooked by fitness advisers and fitness seekers alike. In fact, the benefits of good posture may be among the best kept secrets of the current fitness movement. The good news is that most everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture...and you can make improvements at any age.

Know Your Curves

The natural state of your back has three curves which form an S.

The first curve of your spine is the cervical (neck) curve. Consisting of seven small, flexible vertebrae that support your skull and the cervical curve tilts slightly forward.

The second curve of your spine is the thoracic (mid back) curve. This curve has 12 vertebrae which are larger and more rigid than the cervical vertebrae. The thoracic curve has a prominent backward curvature.

The third curve of your spine is the lumbar (low back) curve. This curve consists of five massive vertebrae that carry most of the weight of your body. The lumbar curve has a forward tilt.

To keep your spine well-aligned and healthy, you must maintain the balance of these three curves. By maintaining this alignment you minimize stress on the spine, which helps prevent back pain and injury.

Yoga Can Help

Yoga helps improve your posture in the following ways:

1)Strengthens the muscles that support your spine easier to maintain good posture.
2)Improves the flexibility of your spine, enabling you to maintain good posture throughout different movements.
3)Improves the flexibility of your shoulders, hips and hamstrings, allowing you to maintain good posture without strain.
4)Enhances your body awareness, so you are more conscious of your posture throughout the day.

Better Posture made Simple

Follow these simple steps to quickly improve your posture.
1)Bring your feet parallel, not turned out, and about hip width apart. Bringing your feet parallel engages the muscles in the front of your thighs and keeps your hips, knees and ankles in proper alignment.
2)Reach up through the top of your head, feeling your spine lengthen, getting tall.
3)Bring your pelvis to a neutral position. To find this neutral position, place your hands around your hips, then tuck your tailbone slightly until your pelvis is directly over your thighs, so there is no bend in your hip joints, and theres less sway in your low back. As you tuck your tailbone, you should feel your abdominal muscles engage a bit.
4)Draw your shoulders back and relax them down, bringing your hands in line with the seams of your pants.
5)Level your chin, keeping your head directly over the spot between your shoulders, not forward or back.

Here are some easy ways to check your posture at home:

stand facing a full length mirror and check the following:

1) Your shoulders are level,
2) Your head is straight, not tilted to the side,
3) The spaces between your arms and your sides seem equal on both sides,
4) Your hips are level, not sloped to one side, and
5) Your ankles are straight and not turned in or out.

You can also have someone look at you from the side and check the following:

1) Your head is stacked over your body, not jutting forward or pulled back
2) Your chin is parallel to the floor, not tilting up or down,
3) Shoulders are in line with ears, not drooping forward or pulled back too far,
4) Your hands are in line with hips, not forward or back
5) Your knees are straight, not bent or hyper-extended
6) Your lower back is slightly curved forward, not too flat or curved too much, (creating a swayback)

Do your best to practice these points of posture everyday, and before you know it, your posture will be perfect. To learn more about improving your posture and developing a strong and healthy back, visit: www.yogaforbackhealth.com.

Nancy Wile, Ed.D. is the founder of Yoga To Go a yoga organization that provides simple and effective yoga programs for busy people around the world. You can subscribe to her free yoga and fitness newsletter at: www.YogaTG.com.

Isn't it amazing how much pain something as tiny as a splinter can cause? That shard of wood or even glass or metal slips under your skin so stealthily. Then once it is in place, it raises such a ruckus that it feels like a major would instead of just a misplaced silver. What makes splinters so frustrating is that they are seldom easy to get at. They tend to go just far enough beneath the surface of your skin that you have to do some digging to get them out. If you are not careful or if you are a tad less than dexterous, you can irritate or pierce the surrounding skin. You will end up hurting even more and you could possibly develop an infection.

removing a splinter is easy, once you know the right way to do it. Here are some ways that you can put an end to your pain.

Clean up. Before you do any poking around, wash the area where the splinter is embedded. This will help prevent infection.

Go numb. Rub the area around the splinter with ice. Ice works as a topical anesthetic. It will help reduce your discomfort.

Be well-equipped. Make sure you have the right instrument for splinter removal. In most cases, ordinary household tweezers will do. The kind used for plucking eyebrows works best. You want one with a flat surface rather than a pointed surface. That way, you will get a better grip on the splinter. If your splinter proves stubborn, you may want to try a splinter forceps instead. The forceps has a very sharp, pointed tip that is wonderful for pulling out splinters. It is a great addition to a home first-aid kit. If you don't already have a splinter forceps, you can buy one in a surgical supply store.

Kill those germs. Whichever tool you choose to use, make sure it is sterilized. It is recommended wiping your tweezers or splinter forceps with alcohol. Or you can hold it in a flame. Be sure to let the implement cool to room temperature before you use it.

Take the right angle. Once you grab the splinter with the tweezers or forceps, carefully pull it out at the same angle it went in. This will help you avoid breaking the splinter off. You want to pull it out without leaving any part of it behind.

Go for a soak. If you can't get splinter out completely or if it is stuck, a good soak may help dislodge it. It is recommended immersing the affected area in warm, soapy water for 5 to 10 minutes, three or four times a day, until the splinter lets go.

It is rare that a splinter requires medical attention, but there are circumstances in which it may be necessary. If you cannot remove a splinter and it hurts, see your doctor. A splinter under your fingernail, for example, can be very difficult to get out. And it will cause more pain there than anywhere else. You should also see a doctor if you develop an infection. The site of the splinter may fester and become inflamed because there are bacteria on the embedded object. You should have the splinter looked at, especially if there is a lot of redness around it or there are red streaks emanating from it.

Samsung brings good news for music lovers. The Ultra edition of Samsung unleashes its ultimate fashionable device. Samsung F300 is the perfect substitute for your music system. now you can carry your music with you. Anywhere anytime. Enliven your digital music experience with the dedicated music features of the Samsung F300. The file formats supported by its media player include MP3, AAC, WMA and eAAC+ allowing you to play your music at your own wish. Its 3D speakers enhance your music by providing you with higher sound quality. It takes you only a click with your finger to reach your music. The 4 way touch-sweep control keys allow you to browse your music the way you want.

The handset features a 2.1 inch music screen to organise and manage your music files. You can enjoy your music even in offline mode. Window Media DRM integrated with the handset allows you to share your music files with other compatible devices. FM radio keeps you engaged with popular music stations. The expandable memory card slot enables you to store all your music in your device. Samsung F300 incorporates a 2 mega pixel camera with digital zoom and flash. It is capable of producing excellent quality pictures and video clips.

transfer your media files to other devices through wireless networks using Bluetooth, EDGE and usb. Stay in touch with your dear ones through its outstanding messaging features. You can share your photos and videos with friends by sending them through multimedia messages and emails. With Samsung F300, you can experience high speed Internet connectivity. Use WAP browser to search your favourite music and download them directly to your device. Download Java games and play comfortably on its high resolution TFT display. Get yourself a Samsung F300 and access groovy music anytime you want. Get hooked to the magic of digital music.

Caitlin Lucy is a Expert Author. She has written good quality articles on Samsung F300, Compare Mobile Phones and Contract phones

The first defense against unhealthy responses to stress is not Tylenol, Motrin... but instead deep breathing. Caution, if you suffer from panic - anxiety and or agoraphobia, this technique is not recommended until after the symptoms are history. This is because breathing techniques require internal focusing which is not recommended for anxiety sufferers. For them external relaxation techniques are recommended - see the resource box.

In response to stress, it is normal that our breathing is immediately affected. It becomes shallow and upper chest which is actually part of the defense mechanism. Even that a sigh is usually a tense upper chest unhealthy breadth.

We generally make three basic mistakes in breathing:
Were so consumed with our appearance that we learn to hold in our stomachs which greatly limits our breathing to the upper chest.
Then when we do take a deep breadth, we force our lungs to expand against our chest putting chest muscles in spasm. This can create chest and back pain.
Some of us lift our shoulders to take in that deep breadth. It's called "clavicle breathing" and it contributes to neck and headache.

Life is about stress and as we adapt to higher and higher levels of stress from one year to the next, our normal breathing becomes tense. Even as we sleep, we may breathe in a tense manner. The tense breathing also starves the body of much needed oxygen, affects our posture, and blocks our Chakras--the natural flow of energy through our bodies.

No matter what the physical health problem--headaches, neckaches, muscle pain... (all direct effects of stress), or disease such as cancer, heart disease... it's important to address breathing (except for anxiety sufferers as previously noted). The problem is that no one makes any money from deep breathing. No drugs are required so you will not hear an announcement on the radio, "Remember to do your stress reduction deep breathing exercise!"

Look for times during the day when you are feeling stressed, under pressure, in a rush, defensive, tense... It's during these times that instead of tensing as you normally would, that you instead remember to do your stress relief deep breathing.

And all you have to do to engage your first defense against stress is to consciously become aware of your breathing. Then shift from your upper chest tense breathing consciously to an abdominal breath.

How to take an abdominal breadththe first defense against stress:
Let your stomach and abdomen relax.
Breathe down through your chest into your stomach.
Let your stomach expand outward.
Let your chest expand slightly at the end of the breadth.

As you exhale:
Pull your stomach inward.
Expel all the air up through your chest.

If you can hear yourself breathe, you are breathing too fast. Ten to twelve breaths per minute is find. If you feel your shoulders lifting as you inhale, it is a tense breadth. Just let your shoulders be loose and limp as you inhale and exhale. Let your arms hang from your shoulder like rope.

If you have the time, take a class in yoga breathing to get in some serious breathing. yoga will provide many healthful benefits.

When to do your deep breathing: Make a list of times during the day when it would be appropriate to take advantage of the deep breathing stress management technique such as:
Whenever you're at a red light.
As youre waiting for your computer to load a program or shut down.
Before answering the phone or making a phone call.
As you listen to someone conversing with you.
Before eating or drinking.
Before entering a building or an office.
Whenever you notice yourself feeling stressed.
Whenever you can remember to take a deep breadth.

Remember, no one makes money on deep breathing so you will not hear an announcer on the radio reminding you to take your deep breadth exercise to manage stress.

See the resource box for a ready made cd for Abdominal Breathing with four different deep breathing exercises (including one to help reduce hyperventilation).

Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E NGH certified makes it easy to manage stress with http://www.dstressdoc.com breadth management techniques that also reduce hyperventilation. He is a is a prominent figure in the field of stress management and personal change. He is the creative force behind the best selling http://www.DStressDoc.com hypnosis self help cd's and a specialist with http://www.PanicBusters.com